Archives
2003: Vol.
2, Numbers 1-12Read
past articles including:Series
on Leadership continued
Avoiding Dictatorship in a Free SocietyArt
and Politics Living
the Good LifeTeaching
Teens World
Peace in Less Than a Month?

As a child I would sometimes take
more food than I could eat, and my dad would admonish
me that my “eyes
were bigger than my stomach.” He did not
try to make me feel guilty for all the starving children
in India, as was a frequent tactic of parents to
get their kids to eat all the food on their plates.
The lesson of moderation is
much more effective in teaching responsibility
and changing a child's behavior than is guilt. We
now have a heaping portion of economic
woes on our plate, having served ourselves more than
we can manage.

The American restaurant is a
factual metaphor for a value system that esteems
quantity over quality. The stack of styrofoam take-out
containers for the unfinished meal is an expected
fixture of most restaurants. European restaurants
have no such thing nor do very expensive restaurants
in the United States. It is rather strange to me
that even after being unable to finish a meal in
an American restaurant (although having “worked
on it”), the server asks if I want dessert! In
contrast, at very expensive restaurants one is served
skillfully prepared portions that one can finish without
feeling bloated. They are presented artfully to please
all the senses, savored slowly, and if one is still
hungry, one has place for the dessert that is inevitably
offered to finish off a fine meal.

We probably cannot expect such a standard in chain
restaurants or ones that depend on high volume feeding
to turn a profit. Nevertheless, they need to rethink
portions if they want to prosper in hard times and
to meet healthy food standards for customers. Restaurants
ought to take their cues from the clothing industry,
but with a slight twist. Clothing manufactures recognize
that one size does not fit all (but presumably one
price does). It is time for restaurants to have small,
medium, large and even extra large portions on their
menus, all priced accordingly. Eliminating waste and
giving clients choices to fit their appetites and budgets
will not only be a sensible alternative to forcing
many to overeat, it will also be more profitable and
may entice clients to buy and enjoy appetizers and
desserts. Supplying containers for unfinished meals
not only is an extra expense for the restaurant, it
also feeds the petro-chemical factory-to-dump chain.

This example of re-thinking how
restaurants on a mass scale could repackage their
services is critical to a changing consciousness
of consumption in a much larger context. Moderation
in everything is more economical and healthier. It
further reduces pressures on natural resources and
the toxic effects of manufacturing and waste on our
environment and in our budgets (“toxic
asset” is a new term in the current bank failures).
We stuff ourselves when we are unsatisfied or eat carelessly
and too fast without enjoying our meal. Developing
a refined lifestyle where quality is more important
than quantity will promote more human connections and
a happier life. In meeting our needs within our means
we may experience wealth in our relationships and longer
lasting satisfaction without extravagance.

Our instincts for finishing off the kill in lean times
needs to yield to managing our production/consumption
activities as intelligent beings with ample foresight
and planning. As humanity gathers around the carcass
of the global economy, we need to realize that fighting
for remaining scraps is no way to build a sustainable
future. It is no way to live for the benefit of others,
which in an interdependent world means our common good.

Now we are being asked to sacrifice,
as the demands of an economic crisis will force us
to forgo our usual impulsive consumption. We are
experiencing the garage
sale reality check: “What was I thinking
when I bought that?” Getting rid of
overabundance is not “sacrifice.” Many,
who are victims of a bloated economy that popped will
really sacrifice and suffer as they struggle to meet
their basic needs and recover from the collapse of
their livelihood. For others, reducing the scale of
our consumption can hardly be considered “sacrifice.” When
an overweight person develops a new, healthy lifestyle
by giving up the old, habitual one that puts his or
her well being at risk, they reap the benefits of more
energy, more wealth, more comfort and better health. “Sacrificing” excessive
consumption for moderate tastes is not really a sacrifice;
it is a needed makeover of the values that shape our
choices.